Trump has long questioned the U.S. electoral system and said his loss to Democratic President Joe Biden in 2020 was the result of widespread fraud. Trump and his Republican allies also claim widespread non-citizen voting.
Last year, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed a bill that would ban noncitizens from registering to vote in federal elections, a practice that is already illegal. The bill failed to pass the Senate, which was controlled by Democrats at the time. The White House executive order aims to achieve similar goals. Voting rights groups argue that the executive order, like the Securing American Voters Eligibility Act that failed to become law, will disenfranchise voters, especially those of color who do not have passports or other required identification.
"We have to fix our elections," Trump said at the White House when signing an executive order that could trigger legal challenges. "This country is sick as hell because of elections, fake elections, bad elections, and we have to find ways to fix it."
In recent years, Republicans have tried to impose more restrictions on voting, while Democrats have tried to make voting easier by supporting mail-in ballots and early voting opportunities.
Under U.S. law, the U.S. Secretary of State can unilaterally cancel a passport if it determines that the passport was "illegitimately, fraudulently, or mistakenly obtained" or was created through illegal or fraudulent means. The White House argued that Trump's executive order would prevent foreigners from interfering in U.S. elections. Under the new directive, voters will be asked a citizenship question on federal voting forms for the first time.
"Federal election-related funds will be conditioned on states complying with integrity measures mandated by federal law, including requiring states to use the National Mail-in Voter Registration Form, which will now require proof of citizenship," a White House fact sheet on the order said. The order criticized policies that allow mail-in ballots to arrive and be counted after Election Day. The executive order said it was Trump's policy to "require that ballots be cast and received by the election date specified by law."
Eighteen states, along with Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Washington, D.C., will count ballots postmarked on or before Election Day, regardless of when they arrive, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Trump's executive order also requires the secretary of Homeland Security to ensure states have access to systems that verify the citizenship or immigration status of people registered to vote.
It also directs an administrator at the Department of Homeland Security and Elon Musk's Government Effectiveness Department to review states' voter registration lists, using subpoenas when necessary, to ensure they comply with federal requirements. The Republican National Committee said Tuesday it has requested public records from 48 states and Washington, D.C., to examine how they maintain voter registration lists. "Voters have the right to know that their state is properly maintaining voter rolls and acting quickly to clean up the rolls by removing ineligible voters," Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Wortley said in a statement.